Cazenovia track and fielders in position to win

CICERO -- Ashley Winn started the 2011-12 school year at Cazenovia as a key member of the state champion field hockey team.

She took a big step toward capping it with at least another title by winning her heat in the 100 at the Division II state meet at Cicero-North Syracuse on Friday.

The Lakers junior dominated the field with a 12.16 and will be favored to win the title Saturday morning when the final are run.

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"That's almost three tenths under the school record," Lakers coach Kurt Wheeler said. "I'm excited. She could go under 12.0"

If Winn does, it's unlikely anyone in the Division II field will catch her as no one had a seed time within .38 of doing that. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill's Lexi Kavanaugh, runner-up to Winn in the Section III finals a week ago, also qualified for the finals by posting a 12.50 on her heat.

Winn won her heat in the 200 with a 25.40 and should vie for a crown in that on Saturday, though her time is only the third fastest.

And if Winn does capture a title, she might not be the only one to do so from Cazenovia. Senior Paige Biviano has a 155-point lead on her nearest rival in the Division II pentathlon after three events. She ran a 15.51 in the 100 hurdles to take the lead, followed with a season's best 5-3.75 in the high jump to extend it and added a 30-6.5 in the shot put for 2,018 points to make Saturday's competition in the long jump and 800 a three-girl race.

Biviano was not the only Dispatch-area athlete vying for a state title in the pentathlon.

Oneida's Jimmy Moyer entered the day hoping to better his effort at the 2011 meet. The pentathlete was 18th overall and 10th in Division II in 2011 but took a big step toward vying for a title with a 16.10 in the 110 hurdles. That gave him 722 points, well behind the leader, Letchworth's Ryan Owens (784), but in second just ahead of Lewiston-Porter's Dylan Krueger (718) and Pine Plains' Alejandro Ayala (703).

Top-seeded Trevin Barber of Section VI's Allegany-Limestone was in seventh after one event with 675 points. Owens pulled away to a 130-point lead by the end of the day with a 2,136 total. Moyer high jumped 6-2.25 to gain ground and put the shot 37-10.5 to settle into second place with 2,006. Barber was right behind at 1,966.

Hamilton's Sage Hurta didn't get the time she wanted in her Division II 800 race, but the eighth grader still placed and did better than last year.

"I couldn't figure out when to make my move," Hurta said after her 2:17.51 was good for sixth in Division II. "I wanted to win my heat and get close to 2:13 or 2:14. It was better than last year, but not spectacular."

Cazenovia's 4x100 team wound up with the best showing in a finals Friday by taking second with a 50.60. Anna Schultz and Ashley Kent put the Lakers in third place with solid runs then great final legs by Jillian Vogl and Winn closed the gap on eventual winner Beekmantown of Section VII but not enough. Beekmantown won with a 50.12.

Vogl ran the 400 in 57.77 and wound up fourth in her heat.

Kavanaugh's other run was in the 200 but her 26.59 missed the cut for the finals.